


On Which Balcony Are You?

by Hevheia



Series: The Old Guard Duolingo Prompts [10]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Fluff, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani is an Incurable Romantic, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27506599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hevheia/pseuds/Hevheia
Summary: Usually, Joe was more of an improviser, a let’s-see-what-the-moment-brings kind of man. He just followed his heart wherever it wanted to go and dove into things head first. This time, though, Joe had planned everything meticulously, feverishly almost, because this had to be perfect.Part of the The Old Guard Duolingo prompts series: a series I started posting on tumblr where I take random sentences from duolingo and use them as prompts for small drabbles of our favourite immortals!
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: The Old Guard Duolingo Prompts [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952467
Comments: 10
Kudos: 144





	On Which Balcony Are You?

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: On which balcony are you? (Su quale balcone sei tu?)

Usually, Joe was more of an improviser, a let’s-see-what-the-moment-brings kind of man. He just followed his heart wherever it wanted to go and dove into things head first. Nicky was the planner, the one overthinking everything to the point Joe had to gently coax him out of his own head. 

This time, though, Joe had planned everything meticulously. Feverishly almost. So much so that Nile asked him if he was alright and Andy assured him everything would be fine and he shouldn’t worry so much about it. _Just be yourself Joe,_ Booker had said, _that will be more than enough for him._

Still, that wouldn’t be enough for Joe this time. It didn’t have to be ‘more than enough’, it had to be perfect. 

So nothing was left to chance. Literally everything that happened, was carefully planned in advance. He had planned to convince Nicky to return to Malta for their yearly vacation, right to the place they had been on their first vacation together and that held more happy memories than Joe could count. He had planned to book a small holiday house with a balcony. He had planned to cook Nicky’s favorite dinner there, singing and dancing together to a mix tape Joe had made for him when they were still two pining teenagers. He had planned for Nicky to grow a little drowsy in his arms while watching a documentary on history they both loved. He had planned to slip away under the guise of a late night walk and Nicky offering to come with him out of politeness even though he was way too cozy on the couch and him reassuring Nicky it was fine and he would be back soon. He had planned for the guitar to be hidden in an alcove by the door to the backyard. 

He had not planned for it to be raining, but that couldn’t be helped, alas.

He tuned his guitar very quietly. His fingers were trembling, and he shook his hand to try and shake it away. He picked up the piece of paper with the scribbled lyrics and chords and went over it one more time. 

His heart was beating like a chased rabbit and tight knot of nerves and exhilaration curled and twisted in his stomach. He took a deep breath, stepped out of the shelter of the balcony into the rain and fished his phone from his pocket. 

_Come to the balcony, love. <3_

He pressed send and put his phone away quickly so he could stand at the ready. His heart was completely losing any semblance of a rhythm as he waited for a silhouette to appear at the window. His fingers stung from where he pressed the strings too hard in his anticipation, but he barely noticed it.

He waited. And waited. And waited some more, getting soaked to the bone in the process. 

Eventually, he fished out his phone again. No answer.

He dialed Nicky’s number and pressed the phone to his ear. It rang three times before a very groggy Nicky sounded on the other end. “Joe? Are you alright? Is somethi-?”

“Everything’s fine, my heart. Did you get my text?”

“Text? no, i’m sorry,” Nicky says with a sleepy sigh in his voice. “I fell asleep, I didn’t see it.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine. Can you come to the balcony, honey?”

“To the balcony? Yes of course, amore mio, but I’m getting a little worried here.” 

The small, still slightly sleepy chuckle in Nicky’s voice sent a jolt right through Joe’s chest. He could hear him walk around on the other end, shoving something. He strained his neck to see if his head was already peeking over the balcony, but there was no sign of him yet.

“I’m on the balcony, are you there? Or what am I looking for?” Nicky asked.

“No you’re not,” Joe said, stepping back a little to get a better view. “I’m standing below it and I can’t see you.”

“Well, I can’t see you either.”

“Wait, on which balcony are you?”

“The one at the front.“

“At the front? That small thing? It hardly fits the definition of a balcony, babe! No, I meant the one overlooking the garden.”

“Oh but I thought you said you were going for a walk?”

Joe rubbed his face, mentally scolding himself for not anticipating on the fact the house had two balconies. “Yeah, I know. Will you just come please, babe?”

Nicky answered, but Joe noticed the light flicking on inside, so he quickly threw his phone away and put his fingers in the right position again. The rain had made the wood of his guitar slippery, but he would manage. From now on, everything would go according to plan again. It had to.

He started playing as Nicky stepped onto the balcony. His heart jumped in his chest as Nicky’s confusion melted into that wonderful, brilliant smile he reserved only for Joe. 

_Yes,_ Joe thought smugly, _right back on track._

He was just about to start singing when a terrible sting shot right through his hand.

“Ouch!” he yelled as he instinctively pulled his hand back from the snapped string. Because that was what had happened: the fucking string of his fucking guitar had fucking snapped in the middle of the most important moment in his life.

“Joe! Are you alright?” Nicky asked, his perfect smile replaced by a look of alarm. “Hold on, I’m coming down.”

“No no, stay there!” Joe said hastily. He tried to play again, but it sounded absolutely awful with only five strings at his disposal. With a sigh he gave up and looked up at Nicky, who was observing him with an amused smile on his face. A smile that was also so full of love and adoration that it made Joe’s frustrations all melt away.

“This is why I don’t plan things, my heart,” he said and Nicky laughed with that adorable snort of his. “Believe it or not, but I had everything, and I mean _everything_ , planned out. To the smallest detail. But I guess this is the universe telling me to never plan anything ever again.”

He paused for a moment, looking at his wrecked guitar and his soaked clothes.

“I had a whole speech prepared,” he continued in Italian, his eyes finding Nicky again. His beacon in the storm. “But I think I’ll take the universe’s hint and do this my way. Nicky, my light, my all, you know how much you mean to me. You know I love you more than I ever thought was possible. I love you more than there are grains of dirt in all the world. I love you more than there are stars in the sky. I love you more than guitars with strings that don’t snap.”

Nicky laughed again and it was all the music this moment needed.

“I love you more than brevity, more than uncertainty. So, Nicky, my heart, will you marry me?”

Instead of answering, Nicky crawled over the balustrade.

“Nicky! What are you doing? That’s dangerous!” Joe hastily put his guitar on the ground and ran to Nicky to catch him if he should fall. By some miracle, though, Nicky managed to reach the ground fairly elegantly and fairly unscathed. 

“I’m supposed to be the impulsive one,” Joe said as he took Nicky in his arms and pressed a kiss to Nicky’s temple.

Nicky smiled and cupped Joe’s face in his hands with a gentleness that made Joe’s knees weak. “I have to see your eyes when i give you my answer,” Nicky says softly in Arabic, his eyes shimmering and his smile lighting up the whole rainy night, “so I can treasure it and replay it in my heart whenever I need it. Yusuf al-Kaysani, Joe, my life, yes. Yes, of course I will marry you.”

Joe made a strangled sound and couldn’t do anything but kiss this man, the love of his life, while tears of joy escaped him and a dazzling wave of relief and utter happiness rocked through his entire body.

*

“Don’t you have a ring for me, amore mio?” Nicky asked when they were both back inside, helping each other out of their soaked clothes to jump in a nice hot shower.

Joe stood there paralysed for a full minute. A ring. _A ring._

“You forgot about a ring, didn’t you?” Nicky asked, his eyes alight with amusement. He chuckled and kissed Joe’s horrified lips. “Maybe I’ll do the planning for the wedding, don’t you think?”

Joe laughed despite himself, hiding his face behind his hand in embarrassment. “Yes, I think that’s an excellent idea, my love.”


End file.
